Grand pianos are large and expensive, it’s a fact of life. However, you don’t need to be rich or to live in a villa to have an instrument that delivers the perfect sound and provides the perfect experience for player and audience alike. Today there are numerous great, budget-priced alternatives to pricy pianos, many of them available for a few hundred dollars and sized to fit into small rooms – here are a two of the best alternatives.

Digital Pianos

These instruments use sophisticated technology to create superior sound quality. The weighted key technology in these advanced instruments recreate the feeling of playing a grand piano and they come with lots of great additions, too:

Most digital pianos incorporate a recording device as well, allowing players to analyze and improve their performance,

They come with incorporated headphones, allowing you to play without disturbing those around you,

They come with a large variety of sounds, allowing you to choose the sound of the harpsichord, organs or pianos from different periods,

They have pedals, too, increasing sound variety even further and making the playing experience even more like playing a grand piano.

Portable Keyboards

These instruments are even more affordable and they are very small and lightweight, too, but without cutting corners when it comes to sound quality. There is the 1920 steinway baby grand piano which is among the cheaper option. These cheap, but state-of-the-art instruments are especially suited for beginner players who don’t want to invest a lot because they are still figuring out whether the piano is their instrument and for those who don’t have a lot of space to accommodate musical instrument. If you choose this solution, note that portability imposes certain limits in terms of features, therefore electronic keyboards don’t have pedals, but they provide such a wide range of sound settings that you won’t miss the physical pedals.

Split stretch machine where mainly introduce to increase the flexibility of abductor muscles. Those that could benefit from increased flexibility in the legs include people doing martial arts and dancing. For day to day general health and flexibility stretch machines are probably not necessary. Stretch machines allow you to stretch the muscle past the point where you would normally get stuck and it allows you to hold the stretch for longer periods of time.

Stretch Machine Operation

In order to use a stretch machine for splits make sure it is in a closed position and then sit in the chair, slowly place both legs in to the holders. Once you are sitting comfortably start to turn the wheel slowly and increase the stretch, some machines have a leaver in which case you will need to pull on the leaver to increase the stretch. As you increase the stretch you should reach a point where the muscle feels like it can go no further and the muscle starts to contract. At this point you should stop and hold the stretch. After about 30 seconds you should feel the muscle contract and you should be able to increase the stretch. Only increase the stretch until you feel comfortable, if at any point you feel pain stop and try resetting.

How Long Will it Take to do The Splits?

This depends on how often you use your stretch machine but as a rule you should give yourself a good 6 to 9 months. Although it can certainly be done a lot quicker than this it is always a good idea to go slow and steady. The good thing with stretching is that unlike weight training you can do it every day. One important point is to only stretch for flexibility with warm muscle, so make sure to spend 10-15 minutes warming up.

Massage involves the manipulation of both superficial and deep layers of muscles and skin, in order to provide relaxation and wellbeing.

The word comes from the arabesque “massa”, which means touching, feeling or handling and it involves acting over the body using an unstructured, structured, moving or stationary pressure.

The targeted tissues include muscles, joints, skin, ligaments, tendons, or other types of connective tissue, as well as organs of the gastrointestinal system or lymphatic vessels. The massage can be performed using the hands and fingers, as well as elbows or even knees, feet or the whole body. Jane Moore a therapist at kalyana spa explains there are over 80 known methods of massage. Besides relaxation, this alternative therapy also brings other benefits to the body such as increased immunity, improved blood circulation and muscle tone.

Whether we are talking about a relaxing massage or a massage treatment, all types have the common goal to address different problems in the body, restore the energy balance and promote health. The therapeutic massage is equally suitable for healthy people because its primary role is to prevent illness and keep the body in shape. In prophylactic purpose, the therapeutic massage aims to prevent and combat any disease or illness caused by the accumulation of professional, physical or intellectual fatigue. It can also be a part of more complex treatments and rehabilitation related to certain pathologic diseases.

The benefits of massage are multiple and we are going to detail only a few of them.

Massage improves blood and lymphatic circulation

The massage helps activate circulation throughout the body. Lymphatic circulation is less known than blood circulation, but it is very important, considering that it acts as a waste carrier. Both types of circulation can be restored to normal levels by correctly applied massage techniques.

Massage stimulates and soothes the nervous and endocrine systems

Vigorous massage can have stimulating effects on the nervous system, maintaining the psychomotor function in optimal conditions. Conducted through slow and gentle maneuvers, it is soothing and particularly effective against excessive tension, mental stress, pain and anxiety. The relaxing effect which helps to remove fatigue is obtained precisely by relaxing the nervous and endocrine systems. A correct massage stimulates the production of endorphins – the brain chemical that produces the feeling of happiness – and also reduces the levels of stress hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine.

Massage increases mobility and flexibility of joints

It has a great vasodilator effect, which makes joints healthier.

Massage increases the elasticity and muscle contractility

Any type of massage helps to increase the amount of blood and oxygen in muscles. This improves elasticity, muscle contractility and functional abilities, delaying anoxia and the accumulation of toxins that cause glycolysis.

Massage reduces muscle tension

There is no mystery in the fact that massage relieves muscular aches and strains. Certain maneuvers lead to lower excitability and muscle contractility. This is explained by the fact that massage increases blood circulation in muscles, which increases the levels of natural opioids that attach to brain receptors, being able to block pain and produce a general feeling of calm.

Massage improves skin condition

There are massage techniques that allow muscle fibers to rebuild their energy reserves, which translates also into the fact that the skin regains its elasticity and firmness. The physical properties of the skin are also improved, because massage favors the exfoliation of the cells, stimulating regeneration.

These are just a few of the benefits a good massage can bring you. Done on a regular basis, massage can make you feel reborn – and even look a lot better too!

Though, the idea of having hot stones placed on your back seems frightening, this type of massage therapy can be very beneficial. A hot stones massage can be very beneficial in improving blood flow and reducing stress levels. In this article, I will give you the benefits and drawbacks of this type of massage therapy.

Benefits

A hot stone massage can greatly enhance the experience of a conventional massage. Massages are great for reducing stress and anxiety but using hot stones can greatly improve relaxation and improve blood flow. A hot stone massage can be very beneficial for a person with back injuries. The hot stone massage is commonly used in physical therapy to help to relax muscles located in the back.

Drawbacks

A hot stone massage has many benefits but just one drawback. Some users of hot stone massage therapy have experienced burns from the stones. Though, most are mild burns, please be sure to use caution when using this method of massage therapy.

How It Works

Before a hot stone massage, you may be required to fill out consent forms for your visit. During a hot stone massage, river rocks are heated and placed on the skin to enhance the conventional massage. For an indian head massage consultation form is required unlike the hot stone treatment. The stones that are commonly used are relatively small. They are usually about the size of a tennis ball. Having hot stones placed on your skin may seem alarming but rest assured they provide a very relaxing experience. Please make sure to consult with a professional before engaging in this massage therapy as experience is a major factor in the success of a hot stone massage. Also, make sure to notify your masseuse if the stones are too hot for your liking to avoid burns.